Bow string servings



J E. w. SMITH ETAL BOW STRING SERVINGS Filed Nov. 12, 1963 HIM INVENTORS, EARL W. SMITH MILDRED MORGAN BY United States Patent This invention relates to certain new and useful improvements in servings or protective and reinforcing windings which are particularly adapted for use in connection with strings used with bows for archery purposes.

As is well known, in the use of bows the bow string is provided with a pair of opposite end loops for engaging the bow and an intermediate nock section for engagement by the nock of an arrow. It readily has been recognized that each of these areas comprises the portions of the bow string subject to the greatest wear and strain, and it has become customary to furnish a reinforcing serving around and about each of these areas in order to maintain the string against wear and also to reinforce it against the strains which are placed thereupon during use.

In earlier practice bow strings have been made of fibrous material such as flax or the like in threads which are associated together. These threads are formed into the respective loops and thereafter a serving consisting of a thread of the flax or other similar material has been wound about the formed loop and down a section of the adjacent bow string, with the free end of the thread being drawn back beneath a number of turns of the serving so as to tuck in the free end and tend to hold the same in place. Similar procedure has been followed in the nock section where a serving has been applied to a section of the bow string adjacent and encompassing the area where the nock of the arrow is to be fitted and the free end of such serving has also been tucked in underneath a number of turns of the serving in order to hold the same in place.

It has been found, however, that such fibrous material servings such as those of flax and other similar material do not have the wear qualities which are desired under modern archery conditions, and much use has now been made of synthetic threads or filaments formed of extruded plastic material such as that commonly known as nylon and others of the synthetic extruded plastics. The wear resistant qualities of such string or threads has become readily recognized and has been adopted in many instances. A problem has, however, arisen after the free end of the plastic thread is drawn back beneath the turns of the serving, of preventing loosening of the free end from its engagement and the consequent loosening of the serving throughout. Attempts have been made to fasten the serving in several manners into position after it has been thus drawn into secured position, but these attempts have been ineffective, particularly on account of the character of the filament of the serving.

The principal object of the present invention is intended to provide a new and useful means of fixing the free end of the serving of a bow string into position against undesired loosening.

A further object of the invention is to provide such a means in which the free end of the serving thread is severed or cut off from the body of the thread by the use of heat.

A further object of the invention is to provide such a means in which the use of such heat enlarges the cut off end of the thread into a globule extending over the junction between adjacent turns of the serving between which the end of the serving has been drawn.

A further object of the invention is to provide such a means in which the cut off adheres to adjacent turns of the serving; and

A further object of the invention is. generally to improve the means by which bow string servings may be completed.

The means by which the foregoing and other objects of the present invention are accomplished and the manner of their accomplishment will be readily understood from the following specification upon reference to the accompanying drawings, in which:

FIG. 1 is an elevational view of a bow string with parts broken away for purposes of convenience showing the free end of the several servings drawn through and beneath the turns of the windings and .extending therefrom prior to fixing.

FIG. 2is a view similar to FIG. 1 showing the servings secured in position, with one free end unsecured and showing diagrammatically a means of heat severing the free end.

FIG. 3 is an enlarged fragmentary view, partly in sec tion and partly in elevation, taken adjacent to one of the securing globules.

FIG. 4 is a similarly enlarged cross sectional view.

Referring now to the drawings in which the various parts are indicated by numerals, a substantially conventional bow string 11 is shown which includes loop sections 13, 15, and a nock section 17. To each of these sections is applied a reinforcing serving 19.

It has heretofore been the practice to utilize soft and resilient serving material such as flax or the like for the accomplishment of reinforcement. This has been satisfactory for the major purposes of servings, but has developed the difliculty of being limitedly resistant to wear, and more recently the servings, particularly those as are applied in commercial manufacture of bow strings, have employed threads or filaments of extruded plastic such as that commonly known as nylon.

In prior practice the serving has been wound in closely related spiral turns along a selected length of the bow string section and the terminal end of the serving has been drawn beneath a plurality of the turns in order to secure the serving in place. Such securing has been more or less satisfactory in the use of prior soft materials.

With the use of the serving material such as the nylon filament referred to herein similar practice is followed in providing the serving as a winding of closely related turns of a spiral nature along a section of the bow string and with the terminal end being tucked in or drawn through beneath a plurality of the turns of the serving in order to effect a securing. However, with the more resilient and stifler material, such as the nylon filament, which enhance wear-resistant qualities, the problem of securing the end portion has become aggravated, and it has been found that there is a tendency for such wound servings to work loose under use conditions creating an undesired quality in the bow string.

In the present device the servings of extruded plastic filaments 19 are closely spirally wound upon the several sections of bow string 11 in closely related turns and the terminal end 21 of the wound serving is drawn underneath and tucked in below a plurality of turns of serving 19, and is so drawn as to extend outwardly between two adjacent turns 23 of the serving. When so positioned the tucked in portion of terminal free end 21 is tightly engaged by the adjacent turns 23 between which it is externally extended.

When the respective terminal free ends 21 have been drawn outwardly between the adjacent turns 23 of each of the sections, the excess material in the extended free end is separated from the device. In so doing it is preferred that this separation or cutoff be accomplished through the medium of a hot wire or other suitable heating tool, indicated symbolically at T, which may be heated to a red heat from a suitable source of power, such as the source S, also indicated symbolically.

When the free ends 21 are heat servered from the filament of the servings, the point of separation melts into an enlarged globule 25 intergal with the serving which spans across and closely engages against the adjacent turns 23 of the serving. In addition the globule 25 while in momentary molten condition tends to adhere to the adjacent turns of the serving more effectively locking the globule in external position.

Thus the globule provides an efiicient lock preventing return of end 21 between turns 23 and substantially insuring the serving against loosening. In addition the heat cut-01f of end 21 enhances the operation of completing the bow string working a substantial saving in time of operation.

We claim:

1. Means serving at least one section of a bow string to protect and reinforce said section, said serving means comprising a filament of extruded plastic closely spirally wound about said section in a plurality of turns, the terminal part of said filament lying beneath a number of said turns and extending externally of said turns between two adjacent said turns, and an integral globule on the distal end of said terminal part, spanning the space between said two turns and abutting against the exterior of said two turns, locking said terminal part against removal from said turns, said globule adhering to said two turns.

2. Means in accordance with claim 1, in which said means are formed on a plurality of sections of said bow string.

3. Means in accordance with claim 1, in which said globule is a globular enlarged mass heat-formed on the distal end of said filament and is adhered to the said adjacent two turns.

References Cited by the Examiner Hochman, L.: The Complete Archery Book, Arco Publishing Co., Inc., New York 17, N.Y., 1957, pp. 94-95.

RICHARD C. PINKHAM, Primary Examiner.

W. R. BROWNE, A. W. KRAMER, Assistant Examiners. 

1. MEANS SERVING AT LEAST ONE SECTION OF A BOW STRING TO PROTECT AND REINFORCE SAID SECTION, SAID SERVING MEANS COMPRISING A FILAMENT OF EXTRUDED PLASTIC CLOSELY SPIRALLY WOUND ABOUT SAID SECTION IN A PLURALITY OF TURNS, THE TERMINAL PART OF SAID FILAMENT LYING BENEATH A NUMBER OF SAID TURNS AND EXTENDING EXTERNALLY OF SAID TURNS BETWEEN TWO ADJACENT SAID TURNS, AND AN INTEGRAL GLOBULE ON THE DISTAL END OF SAID TERMINAL PART, SPANNING THE SPACE BETWEEN SAID TWO TURNS AND ABUTTING AGAINST THE EXTERIOR OF SAID TWO TURNS, LOCKING SAID TERMINAL PART AGAINST REMOVAL FROM SAID TURNS, SAID GLOBULE ADHERING TO SAID TWO TURNS. 